Reply To: Nurse to patient ratio

Well, I hate to burst your bubbles kiddioes….when I first started nursing, back in the day..(cue in the shaky voice and let me raise my walker)…the patient ratios on a med/surg/tele unit was normally 8-12, and I had up to 18 patients, with 4 on tele. One aide, and one LPN would sometimes round out my unit. I say sometimes, because I only had an LPN or CNA when it was up to 10 patients. After that I got one or the other as well. So…3 staff for up to 18 patients, only one is an RN, and 4 tele beds. Oh, did I tell you that I was also expected to work in the ER when the ER nurse was overwhelmed?

It got much better back in the early 2000’s, but now I see a trend that most hospitals are taking to cut their costs…either getting rid of the CNA or PCT, for nurses with up to 5 patients, or have an RN share a CNA with up to 8 patients. This means up to 6 on a busy day shift. I think this cost cutting measure will eventually backfire. Patient satisfaction rates are already starting to slide, and I’m seeing a lot of burnout in nursing. But hey, the CEO’s have to get their pay, right?